Chorley residents warned over bogus bailiff

Police are warning homeowners to be vigilant after a bogus caller targeted residents in a Chorley village.

A man targeted a house in the Brookfield area of Croston and claimed he was a bailiff.

Police officers in the village are now investigating the incident which happened last week.

Brookfield is residential area and all the houses are owned by Chorley Community Housing.

CCH has said that tenants should phone the police if an incident like this happens again.

The Brookfield area has been declared a no cold calling zone.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “It happened late last week, the man knocked on my door, he didn’t have any identification and then he called me by a different name.

“He tried to leave a letter with me and as much as I refused he inisisted and said I would be pestered if I didn’t accept it.

“Eventually he left, he seemed very nervous and I’ve not seen him since.

“But other people in the area have said they have seen him before sitting in his van.

“I think he was out to get anything he could get his hands on, I urge people not to open their doors and to phone the police immediately, everybody knows about it in this area.”

CCH Director of Operations Richard Houghton said: “If any tenant is concerned that someone claiming to work for CCH may not be bona fide they should contact us on 0300 111 1133 or ring the police on 101.”

PCSO Maria Featherstone said: “Residents need to be vigilant and keep their doors shut. Each door in the Brookfield area allows people to look before you answer.

“If you don’t know the person at the door then you must not answer. Brookfield is actually no cold calling area. We have had incidents of that sort in the area but the people doing it have moved on. If people are concerned then people must ring the police, if we don’t know about it then we can’t do anything about it.

“Residents should not think they are being a nuisance if they call us.” People are advised to call 101.